In my first year I
learned plastic and cast iron pipes were not strong enough to stand up
to ice, but black steel pipes did the job. My favorite tool has become
a 36 inch (90 cm) black steel pipe, 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) in diameter. The two
images below show extrusions of ice from different pipes of these
dimensions.

In the images above my wife is holding the pipes. The red tint is rust
from the pipe. After getting similar images regularly I made small
modifications to the outlets of the pipes. Below are another set of
extrusions of ice from the same two pipes, although the pipes are switched
left to right above and below.

Ice will expand in volume by about 10%. So, the longer the pipe the
more water can be extruded to form ribbons or rods of ice. In the pair
of mirrored images below I have three sizes of pipe. The small loop at
the top is from a 12 inch pipe, 1/2 inch in diameter. This thin loop
is all that could be gotten from this volume of water. The pipe in the
middle is the 36 inch pipe but for some reason it did not produce the longer
ribbon this time. But, this ribbon is appreciably thicker than the thin loop
from the shorter pipe.

At the bottom are two rods of ice extruding from a 36 inch pipe 1.0 inch
in diameter. That pipe of twice the diameter holds 4 times of volume
to water as its narrower partner. In this wider pipe I drilled two
holes 1/4 inch in diameter. The two rods of ice are the product of
this experiment.

I have found it quite difficult to get photos that show the ice
formations distinct from the background noise. Some of the best photos
are held against a dark color coat or placed on a plain color surface.
The large blue cloth seems to provide a nice background for this ice.

Below are two perspectives on the same ice formation from one of the 36
inch pipes, 1/2 inch in diameter. I inserted a screw driver into the
end of the pipe and applied a couple of tweaks and this is the pattern of
ice I got. And, I have duplicated this type of ice formation on
subsequent attempts from this pipe.

On the fence in
British Columbia there were two long rods of ice that extended up from
the base of the fence. My experiment with the two holes in the 36 inch
pipe were an attempt to replicate that ice formed on the fence. Below
are two examples of ice being extruded as rods. Remember, this is a
pipe 1.0 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. The example on the left is the
longest extrusion of ice I was able to get. It is quite smooth and of
uniform texture.

By contrast the extrusions of ice on the right show fractures as if the
ice emerged from the pipe in halting steps. This photo was taken at
night with a flash, which is why you see the shadows. Ten minutes
after taking this photo we heard a large bang as the ice rods shattered.

It proved difficult to grow ice as cylindrical rods, and keep them.
But, I did demonstrate that it can be done and it does replicate to my
satisfaction what was found on the fence.

I think the temperature is an important factor in the nature of the ice
that can be grown. I would like to be able to duplicate a number of
experiments in a controlled environment where I could work at fixed
temperatures and make observations about the resulting ice formations.
But, I am limited to what nature gives me and so I cannot control
temperatures. So, some days it is colder than I want and on other days
it is not cold enough. Such is life.

I invite others to try their hand at extruding ice from pipes, or steel
fences, to see what you can come up with. If it were easier to keep
the ice formations, we could have national and international ice extrusion
meets. All you need are some cold days and places to get warm to thaw
the pipes and get fresh water.

After considerable experimentation I found all you need is below on the
left, plus freezing temperatures. Get a black steel pipe and flatten
one end, somehow. Then seal off the flattened end with a plastic bag
and a couple of rubber bands. Add only enough water to form a block of
ice at the bottom of the pipe. I add about 5 cc of water to a 12 pipe
and about 15 cc of water to a 36 inch pipe. I want to keep as much
open space in the pipe for the additional water that will expand and push
the plug of ice out the end. I then stand the pipe vertical outside in
freezing temperatures. If it is snowing I will cover the open end.

After a few hours when I am convinced the ice is frozen at the bottom of
the pipe I fill the pipe and cap it off. But, I want to make certain
the water I add to the pipe does not melt the ice already in the pipe.
So, I place water in plastic bottles and set them outside to freeze. When I
have ice in the plastic bottles but they are not yet frozen solid, I pour
that water into my pipes. Then I cap off the pipes. But, make
certain the caps are above freezing. If not, water will immediately
freeze on a cold cap and you will have a frozen mess and probably cannot
screw the cap on. And, I have filled my caps with Goop so there is
less room for expansion of ice into the cap. Then, take off the
plastic bag and rubber bands and put the pipe where you want the ice to
grow. I usually lay the pipes down and raise the capped end slightly
so any air bubble stays at the capped end. Come back in a few hours
and Enjoy.

However, everything will not go as planned. In the photos above you
can see some problems. There are two cast iron caps that have been
shattered by the expansion of the ice. The piece of pipe is one of my
36 inch pipes. Note how the pipe has been pushed out in the threaded
portion, below the cap. That bulge ripped the metal. This year
that pipe will be used as a garden stake. The broken coupling on the
right came from my attempt to go from a 3/4 inch pipe into a 1/2 inch pipe.
I was trying this in a refrigerator where I could use only short pieces of
pipe. Breaking that cast iron coupling was easier than extruding ice
out of the end of the pipe.

So, how do these experiments relate to
the ice formations on
the fence? I argue that in the case of the fence, rain water seeps
into the fence and puddles up, to great depths in some places. On some
nights the water freezes. The next day some of that ice melts, but not
all. The ice that remains in the fence floats on top of any water.
In some places that ice becomes trapped against the upper surface of the
fence. Then the next time the water freezes it expands and pushes
against the floating ice. Where there are openings in the fence the
ice is extruded through those openings to create some very interesting ice
formations.

Thankfully, Sheryl was there with her camera and presence of mind to
capture those ice
formations on her fence for our pleasure. I suspect such ice formations
in nature are quite rare.

Now I invite others to see how they can build on this process to create
interesting ice formations by extruding ice through pipes. With the
power of the Internet I hope to see some other examples. For those of
you who live with cold temperatures take advantage of those cold
temperatures.

I am not certain this tells us anything about the
ice flowers and ice ribbons
that grow on selected species of plants but it is a nice diversion when I
cannot see ice growing on plants.